Matt James has already ended his relationship with Rachael Kirkconnell, the winner of his season on “The Bachelor”.
The reality star, 29, revealed during the “After the Final Rose” special that ended things with Kirkconnell, 24, after she became involved in a scandal that included allegations of racism against her.
In January, Rachael was accused by a TikTok user of previously intimidating her for dating black men – James himself is black – before another user accused her of liking racist photos online.
Things reached a boiling point when the photos reappeared showing Kirkconnell at an ancient South themed party, Antebellum, while in college.
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James said the photos were “incredibly disappointing” for him, and it was “devastating and moving” to learn of her past behaviors, although he initially ignored them.
Matt James (right) broke up with Rachael Kirkconnell (left) after a controversy over racism that started after filming ended. (ABC / Craig Sjodin)
“You want to believe that you know your person better than anyone knows you, and while all this controversy revolves around who Rachael is, things she may have seen and photos she liked and people she is associated with,” said James, according to Entertainment Tonight.
“Before Rachael addressed anything or Chris Harrison talked about anything, I am trying to support her and I dismissed them as rumors, because that is what they were to me,” he continued. “You hear things that are heartbreaking and pray that they are not true. And then, when you find out they are, it makes you question everything.”
The precipitate behavior of Kirkconnell resulted in the temporary departure of host Chris Harrison from the franchise, while he apparently defended his actions in an interview with former student Rachel Lindsay.
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James said he had a hard time overcoming Kirkconnell’s actions, however, noting that having grown up in the South, he faced racism frequently.
The reality show star said he was able to verify himself when Kirkconnell publicly apologized.
“It was at that moment and in the conversation that I had to [I realized that] Rachael may not understand what it means to be black in America, ”he explained, adding that they are no longer together.
Matt James is one of the only black leaders in the “Bachelor” franchise. (ABC / Billy Kidd)
“If you don’t understand that something like this is problematic in 2018, there is a lot of me that you won’t understand. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “Do you know what happened a long time ago? Plantations … I would ask the same people who are so stimulated, to bring the same energy to support the black people who are asking for changes.”
The star noted that she does not believe that anyone is “irredeemable” and plans to see Kirkconnell “do the work she has pledged to do”.
Kirkconnell also spoke about the split during the special.
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“I was very surprised, but as soon as the initial reaction left, I thought about how strong I thought our relationship was. So, for him to finish things, he must have been very, very hurt by everything ”, she recalled. “It was difficult because I lost the love of my life, but in the process, I hurt him by doing that.”
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She added, “I love you very much, and I always will. I feel like I finally know what true love is like.”